Doug Ford has already made Toronto City Council an offer it can't refuse. His bill to reduce the council from 47 to 25 seats was passed without any middle step -- committee discussion. Now Ford is making Ontario's teachers the same offer. Isabelle Teotonio reports in The Toronto Star:
The Ontario government is creating what critics are calling a “snitch line” for parents to report teachers who refuse to stop using the repealed 2015 sexual education curriculum.
And Doug Ford warned that educators caught breaking the rules will face consequences.
We will not tolerate anybody using our children as pawns for grandstanding and political games,” the premier said Wednesday. “Make no mistake, if we find somebody failing to do their job, we will act.”
The warning was issued during Ford’s announcement that public consultations on a new sexual education curriculum, and other key issues, will start next month. Elementary school teachers are to abandon the curriculum introduced in 2015, which has been largely supported by educators and health groups, and revert back to old lesson plans.
Ford's plan was met with noisy pushback:
NDP leader Andrea Horwath tweeted, “Our schools need real investments — not Doug Ford’s ‘snitch line.’”
Also on Twitter, Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which represents 83,000 public school teachers, wrote, “Doug Ford & the Minister of Ed calling on parents to file complaints against Teachers. Unprecedented, outrageous, and shameful! This is a blatant attack on the professionalism ... of teachers.”
Teachers, education professionals and principals have regular communication and relationships with parents and students that have worked well,” he said. “Having a Ministry of Education ‘snitch line’ that bypasses the systems already in place to deal with issues at the school level will prohibit parents and educators from addressing classroom concerns constructively. As we’ve seen from social media, anonymous portals and comment threads are toxic and counter-productive to improving any situation, in this case school culture.”
His comments were echoed, in part, by Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and Beverley Eckensweiler, president of Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. Both say there is already a good process in place for parents to make complaints. First they speak with the teacher, then the school principal and then a school board official. And if the issue hasn’t been addressed, then complaints go to the college.
Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, which represents 60,000 public high school teachers and support staff from junior kindergarten to university, said it’s “unprecedented” to release a curriculum with an “overt threat of disciplinary action if the curriculum isn’t followed.”
“It isn’t a very productive way of moving forward,” he told the Star, noting the creation of a “snitch line” is also “absolutely unprecedented.”
Not exactly unprecedented. The move smacks of the Harper government's snitch line on "barbaric practices." It's clear that, when Ford hired Stephen Harper's former advisor Jenni Byrnne, she brought some of his baggage with her.
The Fords have always been part of a Mafia culture. The will make offers they believe can't be refused because they know the people. And they'll give the people what they need -- whether they want it or not.
Image: Amazon.ca
20 comments:
Thug Rule
Precisely, Mound.
All the textbooks and other materials were updated in 2015 when the new curriculum was introduced. The old ones would have been thrown out. There's no time to print new ones before the school year begins, so what materials are the teachers going to be using? Are schools supposed to toss out three-year-old texts, or are they supposed to go through them with black Sharpies?
This curriculum change shows all the signs of careful policy planning that has made the Ford brand a cussword around my house.
Cap
It has been painfully obvious for quite awhile that Doug is no bright bulb, Cap. Those who follow him should know that. But that knowledge apparently makes no difference.
Doug Ford got about 40% of the votes. So here we go again - a minority dictating to a majority. We had a chance to get some form of proportional representation in the first year of Trudeau's mandate, the first chance in many, many decades. All Trudeau got was a resounding Duh! on the issue. People couldn't/wouldn't figure it out and thought it was boring. A lot of people would be perfectly happy if Henry VIII returned from the dead and took over.
The old saw is as true as ever, ffd. We get the government we deserve.
The public must always stand with the teachers no matter what. I remember all to well the Harris Governments assault on teachers and the desire to bust the Union at all costs. The teachers were bashed by the Right wing rednecks that always climb out from under their rocks ad nash thier teeth at the gold plated profession of the teachers. I for one would never want that job as they, teachers have lost their self respect due to the indignant ill educated masses that proliferate these thugs. This province will be in Hell for the next little while so we must stand as united as we can against this Lunatic government. MJW
Ford is counting on crude intimidation to get his way, zoobats. As The Mound of Sound says, it's Thug Rule.
I am remembering well the feckless Christine Elliott’s remarks about how teachers, given the curriculum snafu the government created, could handle situations where a student might have a question or might be seeking clarification about an aspect of sex Ed. not covered by the new, oops, I mean old, uh, former curriculum. Teachers can just talk to them one on one (preferably in the broom closet). I thought then this was a terrible idea and smacked of a set-up. I remember teacher’s unions response to that as well. I she still advising this? She should be asked that question point blank now that he boss has threatened any teacher with discipline or termination for straying off the ‘straight’ and narrow re sex education.
I keep wondering too about the promised ‘huuuugest’ consultation the Ford regime has in mind; particularly the fact it will be done in “every RIDING”. Why not at the school board level, the Ministry of Ed. or PTA’s? Suspect strongly it will be anything but real consultation and will result in a much more political revision than an actual education one. Ms. Granic-Allen made Dougie Premier and now must be recompensed, it seems. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.
But like Buck-a-Beer, Ford figures his supporters will lap this up; kick those overpaid, underworked teachers elites right smack in the arse and all will be well with the world. Mac
Ford is paying his debt to Granic-Allen, Mac. It's that simple. Without her votes, he'd still be in his mother's basement.
The CCLA sued the Ontario government today on behalf of a queer woman and her daughter. They're claiming that Ford's curriculum regression is inconsistent with the Education Act, and violates their rights under the Ontario Human Rights Act and the Charter.
A separate group of six plaintiffs is also suing. This should get interesting.
Cap
According to Global News, Cap, the Fordians added a little new information on Gender Identity. Tania Granic-Allen is reportedly furious. Now Dougie is getting it from both sides.
I am increasingly worried that these populist 'leaders' will become the norm.
The populists are becoming quite popular with their simplistic messages to complicated situations.
It's easy for those that frequent this and similar blogs to denigrate the populist movement.
We do so at our peril.
TB
Ford's going to waste a lot of money and goodwill proving yet again that the courts have no time for the religious right dictating their Iron Age morality to others. The Talibangelicals have been on a losing streak since the Supremes torpedoed the Lord's Day Act more than a generation ago. I don't expect any miracles on this issue.
Cap
Ford also hired former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, el gordo, drunk driver, creator of the largest mass firing in Canadian history of women, and the list goes on. The attack on Toronto Council has the fine fingers of el gordo all over it. You find your largest most organized group and attack it. It sends a message to the rest of the cities and towns in Ontario. Oppose ford and you're gone. Nice work. Snitch line, ya, that would be Bryne. Some of those Cons worked in B.C. for awhile after the Cons lost in Alberta and federally.
If anyone wonders what will happen next in Ontario just have a look at what happened in B.C. during the B.C. Lieberal years, (not really Liberals, more like Cons, harpercons)
Expect teacher strikes, reduction in monies for schools, a new method of funding schools, and more money for private schools.
Now some one might want to ask how many teachers voted for Ford?
The people of Ontario may not have liked Whynne but she was way ahead of Ford. Now the people of Ontario can learn to live with it or perhaps because of it, die because of it. el gordo did not do much for health care in B.C. after he started with the firing of all unionized hospital cleaners. Shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedics, you have so much more to look forward to in Ontario. Some of you might want to consider moving to Quebec and learning French, because if Ford's advisor el gordo does in Ontario what he did here, the changes to the sex education program in the schools will be the least of your problems.
Just go back to some B.C. blogs starting in 2001,
I don't think we should underestimate the populist movement, TB. But there are two kinds of populism. The kind we're dealing with these days is populist support for autocracy. That kind of populism is dangerous. The other kind of populism sees solutions in democracy. I'd like to see more of that kind of populism.
No there won't be miracles, Cap. But there will be pain.
We knew who the Fords were, e.a.f. We should have known better. Now we'll have to pay the price for our stupidity.
Its true you knew who the Fords were but you didn't know Gordon Campbell. He isn't like the Fords, He is educated, smart, lawyer, international, and in my humble opinion a crook. If you check with The Gazetteer by RossK a B.C. blog you will read about how some of el gordo's hand work didn't turn out for the casino money laundering types. Turns out our new A.G. David Eby doesn't permit money laundering in the casinos or hockey bags full of $20 bills coming into casinos. So the big one el gordo brought to downtown Vancouver is in some financial difficulty. You see when el gordo's B.C. Lieberals (cons) ran the province all of us learnt that a hockey back will hold $700K in $20 bills. They would just get dragged in, buy the chips, cash out an hr. later with a government cheque. The B.C. Lieberals did nothing about it. NOTHING. At one point the disbanded the unit which over looked such things, like the gang unit. So you have all sorts of fun heading your way and it won't all be Ford. They'll let Ford do the sex education type stuff, but the things which require brains, that will be our former premier el gordo.
One ought not to forget, el gordo, "gave away" B.C. Rail to his bag man. RailGate.
Loaded so much debt onto B.C. Hydro, by sucking it dry, and handing out contracts to friendly financial supporters, B.C. Hydro is in debt some where from $60B to $100B. and that was an entity which actually produced money for the province prior to his take over. One might want to remember that el gordo was the second person the Bilderberg organization invited to join them.
I used to read comments from you folks on the Left Coast about Campbell, e.a.f. And I gave thanks he wasn't our premier. It looks like we in Ontario are about to experience the joys you have known.
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